Kids are still depressed when you dress them up

Seeing that the wolf was not a threat, the wolverine kit paced forward for a curious sniff. Malalia kept a polite distance, but her ears leveled when the stranger stammered out a not-entirely-convincing reassurance, almost sounding like a kid with how pitched his cadence was. He was clearly distressed, and Mal took the meek little smile as an invitation to move forward another step. "That's okay, really." He wasn't the only one who'd gotten lost and scared in his lifetime. Her paws prickled with the memory of earlier in the spring, the phantom of adrenaline gripping her once more.

She gave a brisk, strong shake, and offered the man a bright smile. "I'm Malalia. This is Pachou." She gestured towards the young animal, who continued to suss out the stranger. Green eyes slid back to Benson. "You're on the battlefield, about smack in the middle of Boreas. Maybe a little north. Where are you from?" Her head tilted as she posed the question. She was maybe a little miffed that she wouldn't get to battle right away, but helping someone came easy to her.